Critical Thinking: Does Focusing On Racism And Sexism Lead To More Racism And Sexism?

If someone pays attention to the mainstream media, they are likely to have read stories about racism and sexism. And the amount of stories that they have come across can all depend on the news sources that they pay attention to.

The reason for this is that there are certain publications that focus on these kinds of issues, while others don’t. One way of looking at this would be to say that there are only certain sources that give these issues the attention that they deserve.

Identity Politics

Another way of looking at this would be to say that there are certain publications that are obsessed with these kinds of issues. This is not to say that racism and sexism are trivial issues, far from it.

What it comes down to is that due to what side of the political spectrum a publication leans, it can define how they perceive reality. Therefore, although a publication can talk about what is actually taking place in the world, it can also make up what is taking place.

A Filter

So, after someone has paid attention to a news source that is obsessed with racism and sexism, it can set them up to also have the same outlook. One is then not being informed about the world; they are being conditioned to perceive the world in a certain way.

This is not the only way that this can take place, though, as someone can go to university and end up having the same outlook. If human beings could simply observe reality, this would be impossible.

A Co-creator

But as human beings play an active role in what happens to them and how they perceive reality, this is not possible. This doesn’t mean that if one experiences racism and/or sexism it is therefore all in their head.

Clearly, this is not the case; if someone did have this outlook, it would be a sign that they lack empathy. They wouldn’t be putting themselves in this person’s shoes, which would cause them to invalidate their reality.

The Other Side

At the same time, if someone has been conditioned to believe that just about everything is racist and sexist, it is naturally going to set them up to see racism and sexism everywhere. As Abraham Maslow once said "if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail".

This is then similar to how if someone is paranoid, they can believe that everyone is staring at them. Through being unable to embrace the present moment, what is taking place within them is defining what they see.

Both Ways

Not only is this conditioning going to affect how someone interprets what happens to them, it is also going to affect how they interpret what happens to other people. Thus, instead of taking the time to look into what has been said, their mind could be made up.

It is then not going to matter if what someone has said or done is actually racist or sexist, as it will be interpreted in this way. When this happens, one is not using their mind; they are behaving like a programmed machine.

Pavlov’s Dogs

For months or even years, one will have been conditioned to see the world in a certain way, and this is going to stop them from having to think. What this will then do is save them energy - but what it won’t do is allow them to think critically.

Yet, even though they won’t be using their brain, they can end up believing that they have the moral high ground. This comes down to the fact that one will be doing something about the ‘injustice’ in the world.

Poison Coated In Sugar

But if they have been conditioned to believe that just about everything is racist and sexist, it is clear that they are being taken advantage of. In a way, it is as if these sources are selling mind viruses.

What allows these sources to administer these viruses so easily is partly due to how they are presented. By creating the impression that they are simply presenting what is taking place in the world and that they want to put an end to injustice, it allows them to control some people.

Divide and Rule

And through encouraging people to fight amongst themselves as opposed to working together, it keeps them distracted. It then ends up being about how different people are and not about what people have in common, regardless of what they look like, what their sex is, or even what political party they support, for instance.

Ultimately, everyone lives on the same planet, and this is something that needs to be looked after. Yet, if so many people are using their energy to fight each other, it is going to mean that there is a lot less energy to focus on the real problems.

Conclusion

What this shows is that someone can’t accept something just because it has come from the mainstream media or the education system. It is essential that they use their ability to think critically.

And if they find this hard to do, then this is something that they can learn. This will take effort, of course, but it will make it easier for them to protect their own mind and to get along with their fellow human beings.